Are you looking for some great gift ideas for a 3 year old? Do you wonder what some of the best gifts for 4 year olds or 5 year olds might be? How about best gift ideas for boys? Best gifts for girls? If you are looking for some ideas to get those creative gift juices flowing, check out some of these ideas.

3 year old girls are just beginning to enter the drama and the stage life of pretend play. She loves to imitate you. She loves to pretend to be a ballerina, a mother, a chef and so many other personas. One idea is to compile a dress up tote full of costumes and other accessories for her to wear in her pretend play. Dresses, tutus, aprons and other costumes are a great start to begin her dress up tote. Fill the tote with other accessories as well. Purses, hats and gloves add to the mix. Dress up jewelry can be the finishing touches.

In addition to compiling all of the dress up costumes and apparel, creating spaces in a playroom with pretend toys that are mock ups of real life items that she sees you use all the time, also make great gifts. A pretend play kitchen is perfect for the little girl who wants to pretend to be a mom, a chef or who just loves food. Other toys, such as pretend blenders, coffeemakers, spatulas, measuring spoons and so many other items that we use every day in the kitchen. Pots and pans made just for pretend play as well as dishes, potholders and an apron can add to her repertoire to enhance her imaginative play.

A dollhouse is the classic gift for a girl and for good reason. She can take her dolls and spend hours of imaginative play pretending family life scenarios just as she sees in her world around her. A cradle for her doll and a high chair for her doll are favorite gifts for the girl who loves to nurture and take care of her baby doll. This is especially great if she has a younger sibling who is a baby or one on the way. She can take care of her baby while you take care of her younger sibling baby. Imitation is how she learns and is a great way for her to feel as if she is playing side by side with you.

3 year old boys also love to imitate their parents by cooking in the kitchen or pretending to be chefs. Nurture his love of cooking with play kitchen toys and a pretend kitchen as well. He also wants to do all the same things he sees you doing in the kitchen. If he has a younger sibling or a soon to be younger sibling baby on the way, a baby and accessories can also be a great way to help him adjust to the new baby brother or the new baby sister on the way. It can give him and you a way to talk about the new addition to the family. Transitions can be tough for young kids, but if you gently ease them into new family changes, especially through play, it gives them pretend practice to try on different situations and potentially new feelings.

Another great gift idea for boys and girls are Duplos and Legos. Duplos for the younger toddlers and preschoolers and Legos for the older kids. Inspire their desire to create and build. Enhance their imaginative play. Give them a variety to build with and store them in containers that make it easy for them to sort through and look for the kinds of pieces they want. A fun box to keep the Legos in and a Lego table to build on can be a wonderful gift that lasts for years for either a boy or a girl.

The same idea is true for trains and a train table. Boys and girls love trains and giving them a space to build tracks – like a train table- is a long lasting gift they can enjoy for a long time.

Whatever gift you decide to go with, remember that your kids just want to have fun and the best way to do that is by enhancing their own natural imaginative play.